Life on the Edge
by Bird of All Fandoms
Summary: Sure, their biggest feats and most amusing stories have been told, but what about the lives the Dragon Riders have when they aren't fighting Dragon Hunters or Berserkers? What about the things they've gone through that haven't been shown? Welcome to the Edge, ladies and gentlemen. (Close Friends!Hiccup/Snotlout, contextual Hiccstrid)
1. Ambush

AN/ **Welcome everyone to the newest HTTYD fic! After watching a bunch of Race to the Edge, I thought, _Hmm, I have so many ideas. LET'S MAKE A FIC ABOUT IT!_ And thus this idea was born. The only thing you should know about this is that Hiccup and Snotlout will be much closer than depicted in literally every show and movie. Not Hicclout, I just personally think they could make an amazing team. Enjoy!**

Disclaimer: I want a part of it so badly. But if I had one, I wouldn't be sitting here, would I?

* * *

Snotlout honestly didn't how his day could get any worse. Not only was he stuck on dragon patrol, no, because that would be too easy. It had to be with Hiccup, and it had to be on the exact day Snotlout had planned out a perfect day. Go down to the beach below the Edge, and do absolutely nothing until he got to hungry to stay there. Snotlout knew that Hookfang needed a break, especially after the training Hiccup had put the gang through yesterday.

But no. Hiccup had insisted that the Changewings were going to migrate soon, so they needed to search the surrounding islands for any telltale signs of the invisible menaces. Why only Snotlout, when he had clearly been about to leave, and why right now, he didn't know. But the best way to get out of his job quickly was to grimace and bear it. Which was why Snotlout was currently ignoring Hiccup as he rambled on.

"-so they need to be taken care of quickly," the other Dragon Rider finished.

"Uh huh," Snotlout said, examining his nails. Hiccup let out an aggravated sigh, which seemed to be his favorite sound to make. _Besides the orders he gives out,_ Snotlout thought with a smirk.

"You didn't hear a word I said, did you?"

"Not a one," Snotlout agreed, nudging Hookfang's side. The Monstrous Nightmare rumbled, then dove at the ocean. Snotlout let out a loud whoop as he soared between the sea stacks and island cliff, nudging Hookfang into a barrel roll as they came out. A second later, Toothless and Hiccup drifted down to them, but he leaned back, supremely uninterested.

"Snotlout, we need to-"

"Oh no," Snotlout interrupted, sitting up and giving the other Dragon Rider a smirk. "You are not giving me any speeches today, Hiccup. Today was supposed to be my day-off, but you have dragged me out here and I really don't want to be here. So, shut. It." Snotlout opened and closed his right hand to make his point. Hiccup sighed again, then said,

"Fine. Why don't you tell me what we are doing if I am not supposed to tell you."

"You know, I think what you just said was a speech," Snotlout mused. Toothless grumbled at him, but Hookfang snorted. Always a good sign. It was worse when Hookfang didn't say anything. Hiccup glared at him, opening his mouth. But a loud _SNAP!_ cut him off before he could say anything. Snotlout rolled his eyes at Hiccup's many saddle attachments, then asked, "What just broke?"

"Er..." Hiccup had been examining his saddle, but he slowly lifted his head to look at Snotlout once he asked. "Nothing on my saddle just broke, Snotlout."

Snotlout frowned, a knot of concern starting to tying itself in his stomach. "But I just heard something snap."

"I thought that was you clicking your tongue."

Snotlout stared back at the lead Dragon Rider, completely confused. Then his gaze was caught by something behind Hiccup's head. It was a silver blur in the sunlight, heading right toward Hiccup and Toothless. Snotlout reacted without thinking, a panicked instinct igniting in his brain and sending his body into action.

"Hiccup, move!"

The one-legged boy did no such thing, choosing to do the opposite and stare at Snotlout, but Hiccup's stunned stillness gave him a fixed target. Snotlout dug his heel into Hookfang's side, and the Monstrous Nightmare shot toward Toothless. The Night Fury fought off Hookfang with an annoyed grumble, but Snotlout launched himself off his dragon and tackled Hiccup. They catapulted off Toothless' back, dropping towards the trees fast enough to rip the air out of Snotlout's lungs.

As they fell, Snotlout flipped onto his back, watching in horror as the net slammed into Toothless. The Night Fury roared, managed to wriggle a little before he plummeted towards the ground, disappearing from Snotlout's view. Just as Snotlout started to feel a little relief that Hookfang still remained in the air, another net whistled into view, wrapping itself around Hookfang and pulling him down.

"No!" Snotlout shouted, even thought no one could hear him over the wind. Then Snotlout was rolled a few times by the wind, and once he steadied, found himself hurtling down towards trees himself. _Oh no,_ he thought before he hit the tree line and his mind too was occupied trying to keep him alive to think about anything else.

Snotlout bounced through the branches, grunted as each branch made its mark. When he finally hit the ground, he had several bleeding cuts scattered across his skin. Most of them weren't even worth mentioning, but they all stung like a Fireworm had sneezed on them. Snotlout dragged himself to his feet, groaning slightly as his legs, face and arms stung.

"Ow, ow, ow," Snotlout whimpered as he limped to the edge of the clearing he was in. He sat on a log, gently pressed a hand against as many of the bleeding cuts as he could. He scanned the clearing searching for a certain one-legged Dragon Rider, and was surprised when a bubble of worry started to climb his throat.

"Up here."

Snotlout's eyes flicked upward, and he quickly spotted Hiccup stuck in a tree a few feet away. Snotlout grunted and got to his feet, shambling toward the other Dragon Rider. Once underneath Hiccup, he reached up and yanked on the branch Hiccup was stuck on until it broke off, sending Hiccup tumbling to the floor.

"Ow!" Hiccup barked, clutching his leg. Snotlout frowned in concern, bending to examine the leg in question. Nothing looked out of place, but considering the way Hiccup's face was contorted in pain, something was definitely off.

Snotlout knew what he would normally do. Normally, he would have smirked down at the other Dragon Rider and made some snide comment. But for some reason, looking down at Hiccup with his leg injured and their dragons gone made Snotlout reach out and pull Hiccup to his feet.

Said rider of Toothless looked just as surprised as Snotlout felt, and with good reason, but he said nothing, only letting out a quiet hiss as he stood. Snotlout gave the lead Dragon Rider a quick once over for other injuries, but all could Snotlout could see were the small cuts and bruises he himself sported. Hiccup wobbled dangerously, and before Snotlout could decide if what he was thinking was a good idea, he slid an arm under the other Dragon Rider's arms, keeping him up.

"What happened to Toothless and Hookfang?" Hiccup demanded, seeming to ignore how out of character Snotlout was acting.

"Net got them," Snotlout said curtly. "Didn't see who shot it." Hiccup's eyes widened, and Snotlout wondered how he and Hiccup were managing to be on the same page. Never mind the fact he was actually holding the other Dragon Rider up.

"Did you see which way they went?" Hiccup asked, his usual tone of authority gone. Snotlout got the feeling he should spend about five minutes teasing the heck out of the other Dragon Rider if he wanted to be normal. But then again, this wasn't a normal situation by any standard. So he simply jerked his chin in the direction he had seen both Hookfang and Toothless fall. By unspoken agreement, Snotlout started walking slowly, letting Hiccup use him as a crutch.

 _What are you doing?_ Snotlout demanded of himself as he walked. You _haven't mocked Hiccup once since we landed, and you are actually helping him walk. Did you hit your head on the way down, Jorgenson?_ But concussion or not, Snotlout kept his questions to himself, helping Hiccup through the brush. By the same token, the other Dragon Rider said nothing, letting Snotlout drag him through the tougher bits. _Like a well-oiled machine,_ Snotlout thought dryly.

Finally, they reached a clearing and Snotlout carefully scanned the shadows nearest to them. When he saw no one, he gestured at a large rock in a few paces away. Hiccup nodded his understanding, letting Snotlout help him crouch as best he could. Snotlout peered over the stone he hid behind, vaguely noticing that Hiccup was watching his face intently.

In the middle of the clearing, Hookfang and Toothless were held captive in their nets, both snarling and wrestling with the tightly wound metal and rope. Snotlout scanned the edges of the clearing, searching for the Berserker warriors that were surely hidden in the shadows. But he saw nothing. He glanced at Hiccup, who was still staring at him, clearly waiting for a report.

 _There aren't any Berserkers,_ Snotlout mouthed in confusion. Hiccup frowned, and Snotlout nodded at the clearing. Hiccup crawled to Snotlout's side, peering over the rock himself. His frown deepened, but he whispered,

"You go for the dragons, I watch your back?" Snotlout was mildly surprised that Hiccup had phrased it as a question, but he found himself whispering back,

"Yeah."

Hiccup nodded, then raised three fingers. Snotlout interpreted the gesture to mean "Wait three seconds, then go in,", and he could only hope he'd understood correctly. Three seconds later, he and Hiccup erupted out of the bushes in perfect unison. Snotlout again wondered what on earth had brought on this unusual understanding, but he pushed the thought aside and raced to the two dragons. He wasted precious seconds looking back and forth between the two, then decided and started hacking at Toothless' bonds.

"What are you doing?" Hiccup's voice was a confused hiss, but Snotlout ignored him, hacking at the ropes a final Night Fury stood, shaking himself and letting out an annoyed roar when Hiccup struggled to get on his back. Apparently, he wasn't happy that Snotlout had returned his rider with a hurt leg.

"Get out of here," Snotlout hissed at Hiccup, cutting Hookfang's ropes as he spoke. Hiccup stared at him for a few seconds, then nodded.

"I'll go find whatever launched the nets at us, you get back to the Edge and tell everyone. We might be about to deal with a full-fledged attack." The Night Fury took off into the sky, Hiccup securely in the saddle.

Snotlout didn't even hesitate.

The bonds that held Hookfang in place snapped, and the Monstrous Nightmare roared, standing and flapping a few times. Snotlout launched himself onto Hookfang's back, said Monstrous Nightmare taking off as soon as he sat in the saddle. Hookfang started to head towards the Edge, but Snotlout dug a heel into Hookfang's side. The dragon grumbled in confusion.

"Oh no, Hookfang," Snotlout said. "Follow Toothless." Hookfang let out something that could have been the dragon equivalent of a laugh, then turned sharply, bolting after the quickly retreating figure of Toothless.

As Hookfang sprinted towards his fellow dragon, Snotlout spared a second to wonder what in the name of Thor he thought he was doing. He ran when he could, he hated it when Dagur the Deranged or any other villain he and the other Dragon Riders had royally annoyed came around, and he never went after Hiccup on a dangerous mission! But even as he mentally screamed the thoughts at himself, he didn't try to turn Hookfang around. He was committed now.

Toothless dove towards the ground, disappearing from sight. Hookfang overshot by several Gronkle lengths, and it took him a few seconds to get back to where the Night Fury had vanished. But once he did, the Monstrous Nightmare practically threw himself at the ground. As soon as Hookfang touched down, Snotlout jumped off his dragon's back and jogged to where Hiccup was kneeling with a pained expression.

"What is it?" he demanded. "Where are the Berserkers, the net throwers, Dagar dramatically backlit by the sun and laughing maniacally?" Hiccup looked up and his expression remained the same, like he wasn't surprised to see Snotlout standing before him in the least.

"Er..."

Snotlout raised an eyebrow. Hiccup sighed, then moved aside, revealing a Berk dragon net thrower. Snotlout stared at it for a minute, then moaned, putting his face in his hands. Of course. This was a Berk island. There were bound to be some old dragon traps they had missed the first time around.

"Yeah," Hiccup agreed, sounding uncharacteristically embarrassed. Snotlout rubbed his hands over his face a few times, then looked up at the other Dragon Rider, who had stood with some pain.

"Maybe we keep this to ourselves?" he asked. Hiccup nodded.

"I think that would be a good idea."

Snotlout couldn't help giving the other Dragon Rider a quick grin. Hiccup returned it, and Snotlout walked back to where Hookfang was waiting with a lingering smile. As he jumped onto the Monstrous Nightmare's back, he heard the screech of one of Toothless' plasma blasts. A second later, dragon and rider appeared at his side, and they launched into the sky.

"They're gonna want to know what took us so long though," Snotlout pointed out about halfway through the return journey. Hiccup was silent for a few seconds. Then a grin spread across his face and Snotlout was suddenly nervous.

"Then it's a good thing we're both stubborn people."

"I'm never stubborn," Snotlout muttered, and he was amazed to find not a shred of anger appear as Hiccup laughed gently. That confirmed it. He had definitely hit his head on his way down through the trees. He spent the rest of the return journey contemplating how to fix a concussion.

* * *

Astrid narrowed her eyes as she watched Hiccup and Snotlout soar towards the landing. Something was different. Even with how far out they were, she could just sense that something was different. Had Hiccup used a new saddle? No, she quickly picked out the lines that ran along the edges of his usual saddle. Was Hookfang flying oddly? No, the Monstrous Nightmare was flying alongside Toothless with a placid expression.

Okay, _that_ was odd.

Astrid raised her eyebrow as her two fellow Dragon Riders landed. Nothing about their landing was different, but the second they slid off their dragons' backs, the change became clear.

Hiccup let out a pained yelp, and Snotlout shot to his side. Without a word, Hookfang's rider slid his arm under Hiccup's and hauled him to his feet. Astrid wasn't sure what was more odd about this situation. Snotlout helping Hiccup, or Hiccup being willing to trust Snotlout to keep him up. It clearly wasn't something the lead Dragon Rider had ordered, as Snotlout didn't look like he hated standing there and Hiccup didn't look concerned that Snotlout might push him off the cliff if he got a chance.

"What happened out there?" Astrid asked. She knew it was a stupid question, as they went to go on a patrol for Changewings, but at this point, she wouldn't be surprised if they said Thor himself had talked to them. Hiccup and Snotlout glanced at each other, something Astrid had never seen even on the best days of their lives, then said,

"Nothing."

The fact that they said the same thing was odd enough. The fact that they said it in perfect unison was downright creepy. Astrid was torn between punching Snotlout in the face to get him to snap out of whatever coma he was in and just getting the heck out of there.

The two boys shifted nervously under her gaze. Then Snotlout began hobbling towards the rooms, shouting over his shoulder,

"I'll be helping Hiccup with his leg if anyone needs us!" Hiccup said nothing to contradict the statement, and they disappeared around the stables faster than seemed possible for a Dragon Rider with one good leg that was currently injured and his crutch.

Astrid stared after them. She was tempted follow them out of sheer curiosity, then decided against it. She clicked her tongue, gesturing for Toothless and Hookfang to enter the stable. Both dragons grumbled their acknowledgement, lumbering towards the stable side by side. Astrid blinked.

Now that was scary.

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 **And end the first chapter! Well? Thoughts, ideas, let me have them all! Reviews make my days better and help you guys to get new chapters quicker! Side note, this is a fic I'm republishing, but I'm proofreading typed up chapters before I upload them, and ideas are always welcome. Until next time, Bird out!**


	2. A Very Awkward Team Meeting

AN/ **Welcome back to the Edge, everyone! This chapter was a blast to rewrite, so I hope you find it as hilarious as I did! Side note, I'll admit that this, and upcoming chapters will make it seem like I'm a Hicclout shipper. I'm not, trust me. Just a big fan of the buddy dynamic. There's as much context as you want to see.**

Disclaimer: I wish I could be involved with the HTTYD franchise. I'm not.

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"Any questions?" Hiccup asked, lowering his hand and turning to face the room. It was silent for a moment, and Hiccup knew the weight of what Stoick had asked of them was weighing down the mood. Then Fishlegs raised a finger, his mouth starting to form a question.

"Yes, of course it'll be dangerous, Fishlegs," Snotlout scoffed. "Weren't you listening?" Fishlegs snapped his mouth shut with a mortified look. Hiccup turned to Snotlout, glaring at Hookfang's rider. When Snotlout's grin didn't fade and he didn't back down in the least, Hiccup said,

"Snotlout, do you mind?"

"Actually, yes, I do mind," Snotlout replied, crossing his arms with a smirk. Hiccup just stared at the other Dragon Rider for a few seconds. Then he realized what Snotlout was asking for and he sighed, rubbing his temples. The rest of the room had gone silent, but Hiccup couldn't turn to them for support. They didn't even know what was going on.

Finally, Hiccup threw up his hands in a gesture of defeat. Snotlout's smirk grew even more pronounced, and Hiccup waved a hand at the other Dragon Rider. "Go already!" he snapped. Snotlout gave him a quick salute, his face still twisted in a smirk.

"Yes, sir!" he barked, running out of the room, and jumping onto Hookfang's back. Hiccup watched, amused, as the Monstrous Nightmare glanced back at him, like he wanted to want sure his rider had actually gotten the thumbs up and wasn't just bluffing. Hiccup nodded slightly and Hookfang grumbled his understanding, launching off the deck.

Hiccup turned back to the rest of his teammates and frowned as he realized Astrid and Fishlegs were staring at him like he had two heads. Even the twins were giving him odd looks. Of course, the twins were always giving him odd looks, but these were even more obvious than usual.

"Any other questions?" he asked hesitantly, trying his best to ignore the twins' wide-eyed gaping.

"Yes," Fishlegs said, but his tone made Hiccup think his question wasn't related to the mission. "What in Thor's name was that?" Hiccup blinked a few times, trying to figure out what the husky Dragon Rider meant.

"What was what?" Fishlegs threw his hands up in uncharacteristic annoyance, and Hiccup frowned. "Fishlegs, are you okay?"

"Are you okay?" Astrid asked incredulously, holding out her hands. Hiccup turned to the blond Dragon Rider, still completely confused. Had his friends had a meeting without him? Astrid sighed with a roll of her eyes. "Hiccup, where is Snotlout going?"

"Oh, he wants to go and scout the island we went to last week in case there were any sings of Changewings we missed," Hiccup explained, and he couldn't stop a faint smile from spreading across his face. It had been priceless when he'd told the other Dragon Rider Changewings still might come. Actually, the conversation they had had right after was just as priceless.

"And what was with that silent stand-off thing?" Fishlegs pressed, interrupting Hiccup's thoughts. He lifted a shoulder.

"It wasn't really a stand-off," he mumbled. "That happened last week, when he told me about his plan. I said it would have to wait until we had some free time, so it was going to happen today, but since my dad dumped this on our plate, I assumed he wouldn't want to go alone. Clearly, I was wrong." Hiccup frowned slightly. He hadn't expected that of Snotlout. He didn't like being wrong, especially not when it came to Snotlout. But that didn't make sense either. When had he started caring about the shorter Dragon Rider that much? Sure, a bit more considering, but this was still a bit odd...

"What is happening?" Fishlegs breathed as Hiccup turned back to the board he had set up. He pretended not to hear and kept drawing.

"Maybe they hit their heads?" Astrid suggested. Hiccup held in an irritated sigh. It had been his leg, not his head.

"That would make sense. It would account for the unusual behavior and the odd understanding they have." At that, Hiccup almost burst out laughing. No, there was a much more reasonable explanation, but none of his teammates had yet thought of it. The group behind him was quiet for a moment, then Fishlegs spoke again. "Can you believe we didn't hear Hiccup and Snotlout having a conversation? I thought for sure I would hear the shouts." At that, Hiccup couldn't help but laugh.

"Hiccup?" Ruffnut was clearly confused, and Hiccup glanced over his shoulder. "Was that a laugh?"

"Oh my Thor," Tuffnut said, clutching his head and taking on a panicked expression. "Hiccup just laughed! Quick, get Barf and Belch! The world is about to end!" Hiccup didn't know if the twin had actually put his thoughts together and made a sarcastic comment or if he had just been blurting out his ridiculous thought process.

"Does it really matter?" Hiccup asked, a little irritated. He turned, gesturing at the assembled group with his piece of chalk. "Look, can we move on?"

"Aren't you afraid Snotlout will end up coming back here with Changewings on his tail?" Astrid pestered, and Hiccup took a deep breath, rubbing his temples yet again. "You are? Then why did you let him go?"

"He'll be fine," Hiccup groaned, pressing his hands into his eyes. "Can we just finish this plan?"

"Are you worried about him?" Fishlegs' voice was near a stunned whisper. Hiccup looked up, giving the husky boy a confused frown.

"What? No, he'll be fine. Why is this still a subject of discussion?"

"Uh, because you never let Snotlout do anything without like two of us going along. And you never worry about him." Hiccup turned to stare at Ruffnut. She looked back at him with a neutral expression, and he almost threw his piece of chalk at the twin's face.

"And no one finds this odd?" he demanded, and from the back of the room, Toothless grumbled. "Thank you, Toothless!" Hiccup snapped, pointing his chalk at the Night Fury. "But no one else?"

"I surprise everyone," Ruffnut said proudly, crossing her arms. Tuffnut stared at her.

"Including me," he said slowly. "Are you even my sister?" Hiccup groaned, putting his hand to his head.

"Alright," he said quietly. "Let's just forget this conversation happened and-"

Before he had a chance to say anything else, Hiccup heard a shriek from the door. He whipped around, and he felt his cheeks pale as Hookfang spiraled toward them. The Monstrous Nightmare let out another lone shriek, then put on speed. Hiccup felt a bubble of fear erupt in his chest. It didn't look like the dragon had Snotlout on his back.

"Is that Hookfang?" Fishlegs asked out loud, shambling to the doorframe with Astrid a step behind him. Hiccup pushed past them, holding up a hand. Hookfang flapped to a stop, grumbling quietly as he landed. Hiccup ran a hand over the Monstrous Nightmare's snout, and the dragon grumbled again, this time with more worry in his voice.

"Hiccup?" Snotlout's shaken voice made Hiccup's head snap up to Hookfang's back.

"Snotlout!" he said, concerned. He hurried to the Monstrous Nightmare's back, looking up at his rider. "What's going on? Hookfang seems-"

"The island," Snotlout interrupted. "It's overrun. Dragons are getting out of there as fast as they can, but a few have been caught. One-" Snotlout took a deep breath. "One went down right in front of me. And actually went down, not just caught. Down." Hookfang's Rider let out a shaky sigh, and Hiccup reached out a hand.

"C'mon," he said gently, but Snotlout shook his head.

"No, Hiccup, we have to get back out there."

"Sorry, overrun by what?" Hiccup jumped at the voice of Fishlegs, whipping around. He had forgotten the rest of his team had been there.

"Berserkers," Hiccup said for Snotlout, and Fishlegs furrowed his brow.

"How did you-"

"Doesn't matter now, Fishlegs," Astrid interjected, and the two shared a meaningful look. Hiccup wanted to ask a question, but thought maybe he should wait until after this latest menace was taken care of. "Let's just get Stormfly and Meatlug out of the stables and get going."

"Hey, what about Barf and Belch?" Ruffnut said defiantly. "We're coming too. Right?"

"No, I think it's best for you two to stay behind," Hiccup said. "Then if Berserkers get through us, you will be our line of defense until we can get back." Both twins looked like they wanted to argue, so Hiccup added, "You can destroy Berserkers ships, remember? Free rein when it comes to them." Ruffnut immediately perked up, and Tuffnut gave him a thumbs up.

"Sounds good, great leader," the twin said. "Now go!" Hiccup sighed, but he couldn't stop a small smile from creeping across his face.

"Alright, let's go, gang. Astrid, Fishlegs, you want us to go now or wait for you to get Stormfly and Meatlug?"

"You and Toothless go now," Fishlegs said encouragingly. "We'll catch up soon enough." Hiccup frowned slightly, confused.

"Well, I meant Snotlout and I, since I don't know which island. Meatlug can track our scent." Astrid and Fishlegs just stared at him, and Hiccup decided this wasn't the time for inaction. "Okay, great, we'll meet you there. Hurry!" He beckoned to Toothless, and the Night Fury barked his agreement, launching forward. Hiccup swung into his dragon's saddle, digging his heel into Toothless' side.

"Snotlout, come on!" he called over his shoulder as the Monstrous Nightmare stayed on the ground. Hookfang looked up at him, then grumbled. The dragon flapped into the air, taking an unresisting Snotlout with him.

They were silent for a few minutes as they flew, and Hiccup started to feel concerned. Even with their newfound understanding, Snotlout was a chatty person. But not a single word came from Hookfang's Rider. The Monstrous Nightmare himself was starting to look troubled.

"Snotlout?" Hiccup asked gently, nudging Toothless a little closer to the other Dragon Rider. Snotlout didn't react. "Snotlout?" he asked again. Still no reply. Hiccup sighed quietly, then slid onto Hookfang's back, trusting the dragons to keep him steady. They did, and Hiccup sat behind Snotlout's saddle. Close enough to talk, far enough away to not startle him. "Snotlout?"

This time, the other Dragon Rider did respond, and he turned in his saddle to give Hiccup a dazed look. "I always knew the Berserkers weren't just capturing the dragons," he said numbly. "But I never thought they would look so calm when a dragon went down." Snotlout shivered. "What would they do if they got their hands of any of our dragons?"

Hiccup gently placed his hand on his fellow Dragon Rider's shoulder. Snotlout flinched, but let Hiccup rest his hand for a few seconds before jerking away. Hiccup smiled faintly. It was amazing how much difference one conversation could make.

Indeed, while Hiccup couldn't explain all the changes that had happened between him and Snotlout, he could explain most of them. A few hours after Snotlout had essentially helped him back to his room, the other Rider had come back, clearly concerned and possibly a little sheepish. Hiccup wasn't exactly sure how they started chatting, but by the time they finished, he found he understood Snotlout much more. Honestly, they had never even had a civil conversation before that, and Hiccup had been amazed to find that he and Snotlout weren't that different. At least, not when they wanted to be.

Which had led to Hiccup trying to offer a hand of friendship to the other Dragon Rider whenever he could. And Snotlout had grasped it wholeheartedly.

"The Berserkers are horrible, but I don't think their mission is to kill," Hiccup said quietly, his eyes fixed on Snotlout's pale face. "Which means we always have a chance if the worst happens." The other Dragon Rider's shoulders lifted and fell. Then Snotlout's eyes lifted to meet Hiccup's, and he smiled faintly.

"Yeah. We always do, don't we?" Hiccup smiled back.

"Yeah."

Stormfly's screech shot through the air, and Hiccup looked over his shoulder. Astrid and Fishlegs were flying, their dragons beating the air in an attempt to catch up. Hiccup grinned slightly, looking back at Snotlout. "I suppose I should get back on Toothless, shouldn't I?" Snotlout laughed quietly, and Hookfang grumbled his agreement. Hiccup quickly jumped back onto his Night Fury's back, landing just as the other Dragon Riders flew up.

"Alright, where are we going?" Astrid asked. "You've been tight-lipped about a lot today, Hiccup, and I feel like I deserve to at least know that much!"

"To Beachstone Island," Snotlout said instantly, looking over his shoulder. Astrid almost fell out of her saddle, and Hiccup pulled Toothless back to make sure the blond stayed in place. Astrid glanced at Hiccup, then looked back up to the front of the formation.

"What?" she demanded.

"Y'know, Beachstone Island. The beach with stones instead of sand. Seems to absorb cold."

"I know the island," Astrid snapped. "But you actually know where we're going?" Snotlout was quiet for a moment, during which, Hiccup had to try his best to not laugh out loud. He nudged Toothless back up to Hookfang's side, and the Monstrous Nightmare rumbled his amusement.

"Uh... Yeah. I was the only one there." Astrid leaned her head against Stormfly's neck, and the Nadder rumbled, her spikes flattening against her sides. Hiccup frowned, concerned.

"Astrid?" She looked up, and her face contorted into an expression somewhere between a grimace and a dazed frown. Hiccup didn't see anything that odd. He and Snotlout were just worried about her.

"Uh..." Astrid seemed too far gone to say any else. Hiccup glanced at Snotlout, and he raised one shoulder. He turned back to the sky, scanning for any signs of Berserker ships and listening for dragon shrieks. They were still some Gronkle lengths from Beachstone Island, but it was never too early.

But Hiccup still glanced over his shoulder a few times as he and other Dragon Riders made their way toward Beachstone Island. He couldn't help but smile at Astrid's mortified face and Fishlegs' look of discomfort.

"Look at them," Snotlout snickered. "They look like someone just told them Stoick just married Gobber." Hiccup grimaced at the thought, a truly awful picture appearing in his mind.

"I was really better off without that, Snotlout."

"I know," Snotlout laughed. Hiccup rolled his eyes, but for the first time in his life, he couldn't even feel annoyed at the other teen. Instead, he found a smile crossing his lips.

* * *

 **Aww, I made myself happy reading this. Thanks for reading guys! Feel free to drop a review considering anything in this story, and until next time, Bird out!**


	3. Caution, This Can Explode!

AN/ **A lot of things can explode if put under enough stress. And with this nightmare, Hiccup is probably about to explode himself. Sure, he'd now be perfectly happy calling Snotlout a friend, but the twins have gotten no better. Enjoy guys!**

Disclaimer: Ya really think I have anything to do with HTTYD?

* * *

Hiccup ducked as a barrel flew over his head and crashed into a patch of grass a few Gronkle lengths away. This would normally be a common occurrence, as he was currently on Berk, the island of extremely rowdy Vikings. But the barrel that had almost taken his head off was on fire. This wasn't too unusual either, since Hiccup was the unofficial leader of the Dragon Riders. But this fire was pink. That was getting odd, even for Berk. And even for him.

Hiccup stumbled back as another barrel flew past him, this one with a blazing purple fire in its belly. It smashed into the first and exploded in a fiery blaze. The fire raged purple, pink, and blue, gobbling up all the surrounding grass.

"Oh, Dad's gonna kill me," Hiccup moaned. Another barrel crashed towards him, this one burning a more natural yellow. Hiccup caught the barrel and hurled it over the edge of the cliff he stood a few Gronkle lengths from. It soared over the edge, and a few seconds later, Hiccup heard a splash. He let out a sigh of relief, then sprinted for the main village as someone screamed.

He skidded to a stop in the plaza, ducking as he was almost decapitated a second time. Half a dozen barrels were rolling around, all blazing vibrant colors and making the air thick with smoke. Hiccup coughed, waving a hand, but it did nothing to dissipate the gray cloud. He stumbled through it, ignoring the screeches of the Dragon Fire Brigade and the shouts of impatient Vikings who wanted their houses back, burnt as they may be.

Hiccup crawled onto the steps leading up the Great Hall, turning to look at the village once he was out of the smoke cloud. Half the village buildings were burning with different colored flames, and all the water the Dragon Fire Brigade threw on the fires just hissed into steam. In fact... the Fire Brigade was nowhere to be seen. The only beings fighting the fires were several irritated Vikings.

Hiccup chewed his lip, looking around frantically.

That was not good at all.

Unfortunately, Hiccup thought he knew where the fires had come from. And it was partially his fault. It had started back on the Edge, the day before they had left for their trip to Berk.

* * *

 _Hiccup walked into the clubhouse, only to met with a wall of smoke. He waved it aside, instantly worried that the twins had set one of the shields on the wall on fire. Instead of a guilty-looking Ruffnut and Tuffnut, he found Fishlegs hunched over a bowl, a beaker in one hand and a book in the other._

" _Fishlegs," Hiccup hacked. "What are you doing?" The husky Viking looked over his shoulder, a grin splitting his face._

" _Hiccup!" he greeted cheerfully. "Glad you stopped by! Come over here and see this!"_

 _Hiccup was slightly worried that he was going to lose his eyebrows if he joined his fellow Dragon Rider, but he walked to Fishlegs' side, one arm raised over his mouth and nose. Fishlegs glanced at him, laughing as he noticed Hiccup's protection method._

" _Relax, Hiccup. This won't explode in your face." Hiccup wasn't convinced. The last time someone had said that to him, he had lost his eyebrows and burnt his cheek. He still had the faint scar to prove it, and he didn't want to repeat the experience anytime soon._

" _What are you doing?" Hiccup repeated, gingerly removing his arm. Fishlegs beamed at him._

" _I am creating a salve to put on dragon burns," he said, gesturing with his beaker. Hiccup quickly took the beaker from Fishlegs' hand, placing it on the table. He examined the contents of the husky Dragon Rider's bowl. It looked like a bluish green sludge. He would not trust that on Toothless' skin. The beaker puffed out a wisp of green smoke, affirming Hiccup's distrust._

" _But don't most dragons have fireproof skin?" he asked, pushing the beaker of Odin-knows-what a little farther away from him. Fishlegs gave him a disappointed look._

" _Of course, Hiccup. But I am talking about burns that dragons give us." Hiccup still wasn't convinced._

" _But we just use the same cream we use on regular burns. It works fine, with minimal chances at scarring." Fishlegs gave him a long-suffering sigh, which Hiccup didn't think was justified considering the circumstances._

" _Yes, but this salve will heal the burn twice as quick and make sure it doesn't leave a scar!" Hiccup didn't think that was possible, not with the herbs they had available on the Edge, but he nodded and clapped Fishlegs on the shoulder, leaving the clubhouse. As he left, Snotlout trotted towards him, stopping him with a hand._

" _What is Fishlegs doing?" he asked. "He's been in there for hours now." Hiccup lifted a shoulder._

" _He's making a salve that will heal dragon burns twice as quick as normal and make sure it doesn't scar." Snotlout stared at him. "That's what it's supposed to do, anyway." The dark-haired Dragon Rider raised an eyebrow._

" _This I gotta see." Snotlout disappeared into the clubhouse, passing through the wall of smoke. There was silence on the deck, and Hiccup let out a sigh of relief. Then an explosion rocked the platform and Snotlout came flying out of the clubhouse, trailing smoke. He landed flat on his back and clutched his face, moaning softly. Concerned, Hiccup grabbed Snotlout's arm and dragged him away from the smoking clubhouse._

" _What happened?" Hiccup asked, kneeling and pulling at Snotlout's hands. Slowly, the dark-haired teen removed his hands, revealing a pale patch where his eyebrow was supposed to be. Hiccup let out a quiet laugh, earning him a glare from Snotlout. But he didn't look as scary when he only had one eyebrow. Hiccup stood, holding out a hand._

" _Come on, let's get you some cream from that," he said. Snotlout glared at him a second longer before taking Hiccup's hand and pulling himself up._

" _Better not be Fishlegs'," the other Dragon Rider muttered peevishly, and Hiccup laughed again._

" _No, not Fishlegs'," he agreed. "Just good old salve to make sure that doesn't sting and hopefully doesn't scar." Hiccup frowned, stopping Snotlout with a hand and examining the pale, slightly red patch of skin above his left eye. "Actually, that looks pretty bad. How's it feel?"_

" _Like someone just burnt it off," Snotlout muttered, and Hiccup gave his companion a mildly irritated look. " Fine. Just burnt. Stings like a sunburn." Hiccup nodded, silently noting Snotlout's description. He gestured for the other Dragon Rider to continue walking, and Snotlout snorted. "Oh why thank you, great leader of the Dragons."_

" _So pain makes you sarcastic?" Hiccup asked, grinning. The other Dragon Rider grunted._

" _Maybe."_

* * *

As far as Hiccup knew, while he had been finding the regular salve for Snotlout, as well as treating another injury the dark-haired teen had been hiding, the twins had somehow gotten their hands on Fishlegs' beaker of unfinished salve. They must have had tested it and discovered that the burn salve itself was very flammable.

Hiccup threw himself down the stairs of the Great Hall as a barrel went flying past, exploding a few Gronkle lengths above him.

"I thought the twins were over their Loki stage!" he shouted, diving through the smoke cloud and scrambling behind the nearest rock. An explosion shook the village and a second later, Snotlout joined him, his face and clothes blackened with ash.

"It's the twins!" the dark-haired Dragon Rider replied, patting out a spark on his pants. Hiccup let out a frustrated sigh.

"How did the twins even get their hands on the salve anyway?" he demanded, not really expecting an answer. To his surprise, Snotlout replied,

"I think they got it when Fishlegs left to get lunch. They must have heard the explosion and gone to check it out." Hiccup was a little shocked to hear complete honesty in the dark-haired teen's voice. He was still getting used to the fragile friendship that had appeared between him and Snotlout. In spite of that, he asked,

"Did you see them in the village when you were out there?" Snotlout's face twisted into a grimace.

"No, but I saw Hookfang taking off. And here I thought we were making progress." Hiccup ignored Snotlout's last comment, chewing his lip.

"So you're stuck here?"

Snotlout sighed, but the sound was cut off by another explosion. "Not just me. All the dragons except for Toothless are gone. Even Toothless is up in the Great Hall, hiding. It's like the salve is repelling them." Hiccup scowled.

"Well, great. Toothless can't carry all of us, and besides, my father is going to kill us unless we put these fires out." Snotlout nodded, but didn't offer any ideas. The two were silent a few moments, Hiccup desperately wracking his brain for any semblance of a plan. Listening to the sounds of fire and shouting wasn't helping in the least. Finally, he said, "Alright. I guess we try to put out the fires we can and try to stop the twins along the way."

Snotlout eyed him warily. "And risk getting run over by flaming death, which, by the way, already cost me my eyebrow two days ago?" Hiccup nodded mutely. The dark-haired teen was quiet for a second. Then he sighed, standing and dusting off his pants.

"Well, it's been nice knowing you." Hiccup followed suit, standing and grinning.

"I never thought I'd hear you say that," he mused. Snotlout frowned.

"Me either."

The two Dragon Riders jumped out from behind the rock, taking off towards the main village. Hiccup ducked as a barrel flew over his head, and several times, he lost Snotlout in the smoke. Eventually, he burst through the cloud and found himself standing in front of Barf and Belch. Both heads held a barrel, but upon Hiccup's and Snotlout's arrival, they both dropped their loads guiltily.

"Barf, Belch!" Hiccup snapped. The dragon shuffled to face him, clearly reluctant to do so. "Where are your Riders?" He knew he should be dealing with the fires that raged around him, but he wanted to make sure the twins couldn't cause any more damage first.

The dragon mumbled, bonking its heads together. Hiccup took that to mean "Right behind us", so he crept around the side of the dragon, Snotlout at his side. Sure enough, Ruffnut and Tuffnut were hunched behind their dragon, crouching with barrels over their heads like they were attempting to hide.

"What are you two idiots doing?" Snotlout shouted for Hiccup. "Why are you blowing up the village?"

"Well, not all the village has been blown up," Tuffnut said slowly, standing and holding his barrel out in front of him. "We're still getting to the edges."

"Yeah, stop accusing us of things we didn't do," Ruffnut protested, standing alongside her brother.

Snotlout threw his hands up, turning away from the twins like he couldn't look at them. Hiccup put a calming hand on the dark-haired Dragon Rider's shoulder, then addressed the twins. "Guys, you do know that my father is going to have your heads for destroying the village like this? And also that you're going to be cleaning up everything?"

"No, we'll have you guys," Ruffnut said confidently. Snotlout snorted, crossing his arms.

"Oh no. I can't speak for anyone, but me, I'm going back to the Edge and leaving you two morons to face this punishment alone. I'll put out the fires, but you're doing the clean up." Tuffnut frowned, turning a hopeful gaze on Hiccup. He put his hands up, smiling. This was already going better than he had hoped.

"Nope, me neither. You're on your own, guys."

The twins looked at each other, then dropped their barrels in perfect unison, staring at the ground dejectedly. "We took this too far," Tuffnut muttered. "Sister, are you ready for the punishment that awaits us?"

"No," Ruffnut mumbled. The twins glanced at each other again, then launched themselves onto their dragon's back, turning Barf and Belch around as if they were about to take off. Snotlout made a move to stop them, but Hiccup put his arm, gesturing for Snotlout to wait. If he'd heard that he had thought he'd heard, then in a few seconds-

"And where do you think you two are going?" The twins froze as the booming voice of Stoick the Vast echoed out around the village. Hiccup grinned, glancing over his shoulder as his father landed Skullcrusher.

"Hey dad," Hiccup called cheerfully.

"Afternoon, chief," Snotlout said, crossing his arms and sending the twins a triumphant smirk.

"Both of you get out of here before I assign you to help with the cleanup as well," Stoick growled as he marched past. Hiccup quickly scrambled to the side, letting his father advance on the cowering twins. He met Snotlout's gaze and jerked a thumb. The dark-haired teen nodded, and Hiccup dashed back towards the steps leading up to the Great Hall, Snotlout only a few paces behind him.

"So," Snotlout began once they were both safely seated on the stone steps. "How do you want to try to tackle the fires? The twins were right, they haven't burned all the village, but a lot of it is in flames. And with Astrid out training with Stormfly, Fishlegs on a day trip, _and_ our dragons gone, getting water will take a long time." Hiccup opened his mouth, but Snotlout waved a hand. "No, Toothless isn't here either. He took off into the woods during that last round of explosions."

Hiccup chewed his lip, scanning the burning village with a sinking feeling. "I guess that means we're stuck doing it the old-fashioned way."

Snotlout stared at him a few seconds, then stood with a sigh, cracking his knuckles. "You know, having a dragon is such a luxury. I can't remember the last time I actually had to lug a bucket of water."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading, everyone! Please drop a review, as it makes my day that much brighter! Side note, this may be the last chapter you get for a while, because ha ha, yes, I'm starting school on Monday, ha ha. Don't worry, this isn't gonna go on hiatus or anything. Just please be patient with me until I can figure out my schedule. :) Until next time, Bird out!**


	4. A Secret Well Kept

AN/ **Hello Fledglings! I know, you probably didn't expect to see me so soon :P. But lo and behold, I am back, and do I have a chapter for you! This one focuses mostly on Snotlout, but I had a really good time writing this, and I'm really pleased with how it came out. Enjoy!**

Disclaimer: Did I not state this is an AU?...

* * *

Snotlout took several deep breaths as he lowered his foot towards the ground. The second his boot hit the grass, he hissed, recoiling. A few Gronkle lengths away, Astrid gave him an amused look.

"Scared, Snotlout?" she asked, sliding off of Stormfly's back and walking to Hookfang's side. The Monstrous Nightmare rumbled, and Astrid grinned up at him. "Because Hookfang sure seems to think so."

"I am not," Snotlout muttered, though he wasn't sure who he was trying to convince. He dropped off of his dragon's back and took a few cautious steps. "It's just I haven't been back here in a while." Astrid frowned at him, and Snotlout flushed lightly, waving a hand. "Yeah, I know, we came back a few weeks ago, but that was when the twins set the village on fire and I didn't really have time to-"

"Your dad's back from his boating trip." The blond Dragon Rider didn't phrase her statement as a question.

Snotlout ducked his head, staring at his shaking hands. "Yeah. Just yesterday." Astrid was silent for a few seconds. Then she walked to Snotlout's side and clapped him on the shoulder, albeit much less force than she usually used.

"You'll be fine," she said quietly, giving him a reassuring smile. Snotlout sighed, then chuckled.

"Imagine what Hiccup would say if he saw us getting along," he said. Astrid smirked at him.

"Imagine what I would say if I saw you and Hiccup getting along. Every single day. Every single mission." Snotlout grimaced.

"Touché." Astrid laughed, and Snotlout sighed, rolling his eyes. "Can we get moving? If we don't get into town within the next minute, Fishlegs is gonna think we fell off a cliff or something." Without waiting for an answer, Snotlout started off towards the village, Hookfang lumbering along behind him.

"You know, I think you're picking up on Hiccup's habits," Astrid mused once she caught up. As they made their way up the slope that led to the main bulk of the village, she continued. "I don't remember you rolling your eyes a lot before. Or sighing when you get annoyed." Snotlout inhaled to sigh, but quickly stopped himself. "And Hiccup didn't smirk a lot before. That scares me."

"Yeah, well, we're scary people, Astrid." The lead Dragon Rider himself trotted out from behind a house and met Snotlout and Astrid at the edge of the main village. Hiccup grinned at the disgruntled blond, then looked to Snotlout, his expression turning serious. "Almost all the village has showed up to welcome us back." Hiccup's eyes dropped to the ground for a few seconds. "Including Spitelout."

Snotlout swallowed, forcing back his nerves. "Makes sense," he mumbled. "I'm sure Dad wants to see his dragon-riding son in all his glory." Snotlout chuckled weakly. "I think I left a few traits he's expecting behind on one of the last islands we explored."

"You do forget about Hookfang a lot," Astrid reminded, which made both Snotlout and Hiccup give genuine laughs.

"Don't worry, you'll only have to deal with Spitelout for a few minutes," Hiccup said, lifting a hand and resting it on Snotlout's shoulder. "And no, you won't be taking back your old room, not unless you want it. I've had Dad set up stuff in our old arena so we can room in there while we're here."

Snotluot tried his best to hold back his smile, as he had done so many times in past years. But it broke through, and gave Hiccup a genuine smile. "Thanks." The other Dragon Rider nodded, squeezing his shoulder gently.

"And I wondered why you were nervous about seeing your dad," Astrid muttered, and Snotlout laughed.

"Yeah yeah, I get it, Astrid. You're not helping." He took a deep breath, letting his muscles relax as best he could when he felt like curling into a ball and not moving until the moon came out. "Alright. Let's go greet the fans." Hiccup took his hand off of Snotlout's shoulder. With one last smile, he turned and led Snotlout and Astrid into the village.

They were immediately met with a hoard of cheering Vikings. Snotlout grinned and got into his act. After several shaking of hands and chatting with old family friends, he was starting to feel a little better. Then a voice boomed through the crowd and his queasy feeling returned in full force.

"Snotlout! There you are, my boy!" To Snotlout's dismay, the gathered Vikings parted to let his ecstatic father through. Spitelout charged forward, crashing a fist onto Snotlout's back and making his lungs shake in his ribcage.

"Hey dad," Snotlout wheezed, but his father shouted over him. Nothing new there.

"It's so good to see you again, boyo! We have to catch up while you're here! How long are you staying?" Snotlout opened his mouth to tell his dad just a couple of days, but Spitelout waved a hand. "Never mind, it doesn't matter. I'll make the most of every minute!"

"Sorry sir, but we need him first. We're not letting him skip out on his portion of work." _Astrid, I owe you a crate of fish for Stormfly,_ Snotlout mentally promised the blond Dragon Rider as she trotted up and gave Snotlout a much needed save. Spitelout let go of him, and Snotlout tried to discreetly wheeze for breath. That was a hard feat, since he wasn't sure he had any lungs left.

Eventually, Astrid managed to drag Snotlout away from Spitelout with some excuse about setting up camp. Snotlout wasn't really too sure, he was too busy feeling relieved. Once Spitelout disappeared into the crowd, Snotlout let out a heavy sigh, and Astrid gave him a concerned look.

"This is gonna be a fun few days for you."

Snotlout allowed himself one more sigh, then straightened, shaking his head as if that could somehow help with his racing thoughts. "We'll see. How's camp coming?" Astrid grinned at him.

"Actually, we do need to set up, so it wasn't just an excuse." Snotlout cracked his knuckles.

"Great. Let's do this."

For the rest of the day, Snotlout managed to avoid his father in one way or another, although one time he nearly had a heart attack when someone who looked bore an extreme likeness to Spitelout walked into the dragon arena looking for a misplaced axe. Twice he hid in barrels, three times he had to dive behind the nearest house, and he was forced to pretend he wasn't having a civil conversation with Hiccup more times than he could count.

It wasn't that Snotlout was scared of his dad. Of course not, Snotlout only had a few fears that he kept to himself. But he knew that he had changed. Before the Island Incident, as he and the other Dragon Riders had taken to calling it, he had been a different person. Brash, blunt, and at times, extremely arrogant.

But once he had had that one heartfelt conversation with Hiccup, things had started to change. For one, he didn't feel the need to be so arrogant and impulsive, as he had always done it just to try to prove himself. After all, his father had always placed an impossible standard for him to live up to, and within the Dragon Riders, he had never quite earned their respect.

Hiccup had turned around his point of view. With the dark-haired Dragon Rider acknowledging the small things he did and Snotlout himself presenting what he thought in a less abrasive manner, slowly, the other Dragon Riders had seen Snotlout for who he had always hoped to be. Fishlegs didn't mock him if he didn't know something, and Astrid had started to open up to him. The twins didn't change much, but they didn't find his pain as amusing as they had before. Eventually, Snotlout had found himself surrounded by true friends.

But his dad wouldn't see it that way. Spitelout had never liked Hiccup, which was probably where some of Snotlout's initial distaste had come from, and knowing that Snotlout considered the one-legged teen a close friend would not be good for any of the Dragon Riders' health. In the past, Snotlout had developed the skill of acting when he wasn't feeling the way other Vikings saw him, and throughout the day, he had been forced to utilize it.

But Snotlout had found it was very hard to act like he didn't care about Hiccup when he truly did.

By the time the moon rose over the island, Snotlout was exhausted. His body had been worked to death first setting up camp in the arena, then doing chores for Vikings around the island. But his mind was overworked too. Constantly keeping an eye out for his father or literally any Viking he didn't know well was horrific.

Finally, Snotlout was released from gutting fish with Bucket and Mulch, and he limped back to the arena. He had several fresh cuts running along his hands, and his fingers were numb. He shuffled through the gate and collapsed on the bed of blankets and mats he had claimed as his own. The teen in the bed next to his jumped as Snotlout let out a weary moan, but relaxed after a few moments.

"I thought you would be back sooner," Hiccup said quietly, sitting up and placing the book he had been reading next to him. Snotlout gestured vaguely with one hand, and to his surprise, Hiccup caught it. "Where did you get these?" the other Dragon Rider asked, clearly concerned. Snotlout frowned. His brain was working much slower than it usually did, and he wasn't quite understanding Hiccup's words.

"What?" he asked eloquently. Hiccup heaved an irritated sigh, then ran his fingers along the cuts Snotlout sported. He winced, but didn't pull his hand away as he once would have. "Oh. Those. I guess it's been a long time since I've gutted fish. Well, more than one for dinner."

Hiccup's mouth formed a silent "O". He twisted to look at something Snotlout couldn't see, never letting go of his arm. When Hiccup turned back, he held a bottle with his free hand.

"Hold still," the other Dragon Rider ordered, but his voice was gentle. Snotlout grunted his understanding, shifting and closing his eyes. The initial sting of the salve burned on his open wounds, but he already drifted on the edge of an exhausted man's sleep. Hiccup's careful hands weren't enough to keep him awake. Snotlout fell asleep within seconds.

* * *

He was startled awake when he heard quiet footsteps echoing through the near silent arena. At first, Snotlout thought that Fishlegs, an early riser, had just gotten and was wandering around. He was about to roll over and pull his blanket tighter over his shoulders when a very familiar voice froze him in his tracks.

"Snotlout? Son?"

Snotlout immediately snapped to awareness, and his chest constricted. His father had snuck into the arena. His father was _in the arena, standing a few Gronkle lengths away_. Judging by the light sneaking over the top of the arena walls, it was barely sunrise. Thank Odin, Snotlout had his back to his father, but if Spitelout came any closer, he couldn't fake being asleep. How was he supposed to-

"Shh!" The sound was so unexpected, Snotlout frowned. Then he remembered he was supposed to be asleep and quickly arranged his features into a more passive look. Apparently, Spitelout was as surprised as he was, and he demanded,

"'Shh'?" But, Snotlout noted, in a quieter tone than he had been speaking with before.

"Yes, shh!" Hiccup repeated, this time with a bit more annoyance. "Snotlout is sleeping, can't you see that? Your call was so loud you woke me up."

There was stunned silence from Spitelout, and Snotlout suddenly found it hard to breath again. "Why would you care if I wake him up or not?"

"I care because it's harder than anything else to get Snotlout to do anything if he hasn't had a good night of sleep," Hiccup snapped, and Snotlout mentally applauded the dark-haired teen on his ability to act. "And I don't know about you, but I really don't want to be dragging a half asleep, complaining Snotlout around all day. Come back in a few hours, or just want until we come out to the main village."

Apparently, Spitelout decided that Hiccup had a point, as Snotlout heard receding footsteps a few seconds after Hiccup finished talking. He listened intently as the footsteps grew fainter and fainter. Eventually, he couldn't hear them anymore, but he waited until Hiccup said, "Alright, he's gone," before he relaxed his tense muscles, sprawling out on his blankets.

"That was too close," Snotlout moaned, shoving the palms of his hands into his eyes. "What am I going to do the next time he comes and I don't have you around?" He took his hands off his eyes and glanced over at Hiccup. "Nice acting skills, by the way. Very convincing."

Hiccup accepted the compliment with a gracious nod, then said, "Snotlout, maybe it's time you just talked to your dad." Snotlout's blood went cold, and he shook his head vigorously. Hiccup sighed, laying back down and putting his hands behind his head. "Alright. But you and I both know this is only going to get worse the longer you let it drag on."

Snotlout did know, and the thought haunted him the entire time he got ready for his day. He knew the rest of his friends, well, Astrid and Fishlegs anyways, as the twins were still fast asleep, could tell he was nervous, as they mostly kept conversations between themselves. Snotlout was appreciative of that. His brain didn't need to be stretched even more.

But as they headed into the main village, Hiccup somehow managed to draw Snotlout out of his shell and get him talking. Even as he walked through the village, Snotlout marveled at the other Dragon Rider's ability to get him to talk or laugh even when he didn't want to at all. And laugh he did. Snotlout was right in the middle of snickering at Hiccup's last comment when a voice boomed through the village.

"Snotlout!"

His blood ground to a stop, and Snotlout suddenly had a strange feeling of déjà vu. He swallowed, then turned slowly.

Spitelout was standing at the other end of the plaza, grinning widely. Then his eyes drifted over Snotlout and his companions. They landed on Snotlout's hands, and his excited expression faded. It was replaced by one of rage, and he marched through the crowd, the Vikings in his path shuffling back. Even Astrid and Fishlegs took a few steps Hiccup didn't. The dark-haired teen stuck next to Snotlout, and he took an unconscious step closer to Toothless' rider's side.

"Where did you get those cuts?" Spitelout demanded, sticking out a hand and pointing accusingly at Snotlout's arms. He looked down, paling as he stared at the cuts that traced patterns along his knuckles and the back of his hands and wrists. His words suddenly failed him, and his brain went blank. How was he going to explain that he couldn't gut more than ten fish?

"He got them helping out around the village." Snotlout blinked. He gave Hiccup an incredulous look, as did the assembled crowds and Spitelout. The dark-haired Dragon Rider gave Snotlout a steady look, and he felt his heartbeat slow to a normal pace. Hiccup was giving him a chance to get this over with. Time to rip the bandage off.

Snotlout took a deep breath, then turned to face his father himself. "Yeah, while I was gutting fish," he said, as if he was just telling his dad how his day had gone. Spitelout reeled back, his face the picture of shell-shocked. Snotlout tried his best to imprint that expression in his memory forever. Absolutely priceless.

"But those cuts you only get from your hand slipping," Spitelout protested. Snotlout shrugged.

"That's how I got them. I'm not used to gutting so many, just a few for dinner."

The assembled Vikings watched in silence, their eyes flicking from Spitelout to Snotlout then back again to Spitelout. Snotlout got the feeling they were treating this very personal event like their morning entertainment. Finally, Spitelout seemed to recover, and he advanced on Snotlout with an irritated expression.

"Alright, son, I want to know what's going on. You've been avoiding me all this time you've been here, you can't remember how to gut a fish, what else happened?"

"Technically, he remembers how to gut a fish, he just can't do it over and over and over again," Hiccup put in cooly. Spitelout whipped around to the dark-haired Dragon Rider with a furious expression, but Hiccup met it calmly.

"Nothing from you," Spitelout snarled. "I don't even know why you think you can take part in this conversation. It's between me and my son. Got it?"

Snotlout scowled. If it had been anyone else talking to Hiccup like that, he would have punched them out already. Clearly, he couldn't do that to his father, but he wasn't just going to stand by.

"Hey," he snapped, stepping between a steaming Spitelout and a calm Hiccup. "Don't you touch him, or I will punch you. I don't care if you're my father."

At that, all the Vikings gave a collective "Ooh!". Then it morphed into a shocked silence. Snotlout was too busy focusing on his father to look around at the other Vikings standing nearby, but he imagined they looked just like Spitelout did.

"Er- uh-" His father could only get out a few splutters. Snotlout squared his shoulders, then turned to grabbed Hiccup's arm, dragging his fellow Dragon Rider away from Spitelout.

"C'mon guys," he called over his shoulder to Astrid and Fishlegs. "I want breakfast." The two Dragon Riders just stared at him, and Snotlout grunted in annoyance, nodding with his head. They finally snapped out of their trances and hurried to catch up.

"I think you just made things worse for yourself," Hiccup noted quietly, grinning faintly. Snotlout shrugged.

"I don't care. At least now I can walk around town without looking over my shoulder every two seconds." Snotlout frowned. "Wait, that's not true." He gave Hiccup a panicked look. "Hiccup, my father is actually going to kill me once the shock wears off."

Snotlout was a little disgruntled by Hiccup's laughter. He didn't think his dying was a laughable subject.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading this chapter! Do let me know what you thought as I really want feedback for this one. Thanks to Dimensional Phaser, Dannrose, and hixup for reviewing though, you guys are epicly awesome! I have a lot of ideas bouncing around my brain, so stay tuned. Until next time, Bird out!**


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